Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Biography & News

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Details

About Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

About Nitty Gritty Dirt Band tickets

Talk about never quitting. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band doesn't even know the word, having been down before, having taken breaks and enduring multiple personnel changes over the years, but never calling it quits. That's because the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's sound is ultra-unique, a countrified blend of bluegrass, roots, folk and rock that they have perfected since starting out in 1966 with original members Jeff Hanna, John McEuen, Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter and Jackson Browne, who soon departed to begin his solo career. Originally from Long Beach, California, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fell in line with the region's musical renaissance of the time, in which folk blends were the rage. In 1967 the band recorded its first single, 'Buy for Me the Rain,' and got their first taste of the Top 40, bringing television appearances with Johnny Carson and concert pairings with the likes of The Doors. Their follow-up album, Ricochet, however, did not fare well, and the band hit a couple rough years before changing their sound again, back to a more traditional country-bluegrass mix and releasing the album Uncle Charlie &amp His Dog Teddy, in 1970, which included a cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's song 'Mr. Bojangles.' That single became the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's biggest hit and continues to be among their most requested tunes. The band followed with a country project that would sell more than a million copies, when they teamed with Nashville stars Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs and Mother Maybelle Carter to record the album Will the Circle Be Unbroken in 1972. Though they have continued to refine their act over the years, that album defined the unique sound that has kept them packing concert venues ever since. To see what this uniquely appealing band is all about, pick up Nitty Gritty Dirt Band tickets today.